Here's chapter 7 of Crossing the line! A big thank you goes to Saint Flashpenguin who does a fantasticly terrific job betaing my chapters. Thank you to those who have reviewed as well, I appreciate and love all reviews. :D I try to get back to everyone who reviewed, but if I didn't I'm sorry.
Chapter 7:
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." Laozi
"Is something wrong with the car?" Emily asked as Dave pulled over and turned on the emergency car lights. They were less than a mile from Quantico, having driven most of the afternoon to get back to base that same day.
"No, I just wanted to do something."
"What?" Emily asked,
"Once we drive around that hill, we can't act like we care about each other," he observed and motioned to their clasped hands. They'd been holding hands for most of the drive back to Quantico.
"You want a kiss for the road?" Emily asked, smiling softly.
Letting go of her hand, he cupped her face and gently pressing his lips to hers. Emily shifted in the seat and wrapped an arm around Dave while gently running her free hand through his hair. Dave pulled away slowly looking into Emily's eyes.
"Is that all you have?" she asked huskily, her breath fanned his face.
"There's more but since we are in a government vehicle, I have to play it safe. I won't be able to give you the R rated version."
"I'll take PG-13 if it means you kiss me again," she whispered and licked her lips.
Groaning, Dave claimed her lips in a way that let her know that they were both playing with fire, but he didn't care. He had wanted to kiss her since the moment he laid eyes on her in the bullpen. How many nights had he dreamt of the raven haired beauty with the wide smile and big brown eyes? How many mornings had he woken up in a sweat, his heart racing, his body throbbing and begging for release?
Tracing the seam of her lips with his tongue, he demanded that she open for him. With a soft sigh, she did and he nearly died when her tongue touched his. Electricity jolted through him as she buried her fingers in his thick hair and pulled his head closer to deepen the kiss.
Emily never cared much for tongue kissing, but the moment Dave asked for access and she let him in, she felt her world knocked off his axis. Hot, wet, deep, and so incredible erotic and they were still kissing; she mused and tried to pull him closer though the space between them made it impossible.
Pulling back, Dave tried to catch his breath. He was the one with the reputation, but whatever had happened between them just now had left him reeling and unable to form a coherent thought.
"You really think we can hide this from the team?" Emily asked, her face flushed with excitement and desire.
"We'll do fine."
Dave brought her hand to his lips and kissed her finger tips again - it was a move he'd made a few times during the drive. Dave pulled back out into the road again, they drove the next half mile in silence, neither speaking, just thinking. Their hands still intertwined. They didn't want to let go now that they had taken that forbidden first step.
The entrance gate to the Hoover Building loomed ahead of them. Both Emily and David looked at each other and let go of the other's hand. The road trip was over and now it was time to return to duty.
"Is there a way we could go out sometime this week?" David asked.
"How about we go out for Chinese after this case is finished?" Emily asked. "This can't take too much longer."
"Chinese sounds good."
"It's one of my favorites. Anything that tastes just as good cold as it does hot is alright in my book," she replied as they drove up to the front gate. Her meaning was clear.
"I'll have to remember that," David murmured as he gave his ID badge to the front gate and then passed Emily's. Once cleared he touched the gas pedal and moved the SUV forward. Away from the gate he handed Emily's ID back. Briefly he gently touched her hand, making sure that their hands met for a second.
"You're going to get us caught," Emily teased.
"Not today," he vowed. Putting the vehicle in park, he turned off the engine. Stepping out, he opened the back door and pulled out their go-bags. "Ready?"
"Let's get it over with," she agreed.
They quickly went up to the BAU, running into Garcia and Reid in the bullpen.
"Wellington Dayton is here?" Emily asked. "I thought Hotch was going to wait for Rossi."
"Well our suspect showed up early," Reid replied.
"How's it going?" Dave inquired.
"I've been questioning him about his whereabouts on the dates of the stabbings, but he had an iron clad alibi for a couple of them. I can't seem to break him. You want a try at it?" Reid asked.
"Sure," Emily said, she dropped her go bag on her desk as Reid kept talking to Dave.
"He told me that he gives credit cards instead of a paycheck to his employees he opens another account in his name and simply transfers the money, but it's all in his name, so it's possible that one of his employees is the UNSUB. Garcia is getting the credit card number for you."
Garcia grabbed the file she'd been making of Wellington Dayton and held it out to the two agents. "We've got more victims now."
"How many?" Emily asked almost afraid to hear the answer.
"119. But out of all of them, the only one who died was Annalise."
"Oh this is worse than the pig farm," Emily breathed.
"Let's just get the UNSUB so the number doesn't get any higher," Dave growled. "I'm ready to interrogate this guy if you are Prentiss."
Emily nodded. Together they walked into the room where their only suspect sat.
"I think there's been some sort of mistake," Dayton remarked as soon as the two agents walked in.
"Why do you think that?" Emily asked.
"I didn't do anything."
"Well, we are here to see if we can clear it up." Dave looked down at his notes. "Where were you on June 5th 2002?"
"I was in Wisconsin; I was taking some of my employees on a birthday trip up there," Dayton replied quickly.
"Where in Wisconsin?"
"Pepin Wisconsin," Dayton said.
"That's an awfully small town," Emily observed. "And you just decided to go there?"
Dayton leaned back in his chair, clearly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation seemed to be taking.
"Whose birthday was it?" Dave asked carefully, his tone giving nothing away.
"We were celebrating Nicole's birthday" Dayton said.
"Who is Nicole?" Emily asked.
"The daughter of a couple of my employee's. She just turned fifteen last week."
"You know her birthday?" Rossi asked, sharing a glance with Emily.
Wellington saw the look and became defensive. "It's not like that!"
"Not like what?" Emily asked. "We never commented on your knowing her birthday."
"We were just observing…unless you know something we don't," Dave prompted.
"We have the same birthday, that's how I know what it is." Wellington explained. "But if you really want to know, I make it a priority to know all of my employee's birthdays, and their spouse and children's, too."
"Is she in Aquia Harbor?" Emily asked.
"No, she and her parents are on vacation, they left three days ago."
"When will they get back?" Emily made a notation on the folder.
"They should be back tomorrow; they were planning a short trip," Wellington explained.
"You went to Big Stone Gap one year didn't you?" she continued, not giving him a way out.
"Yes, a couple of years ago. It was another birthday trip," Dayton shrugged. "Her parents aren't big on birthdays, so I feel the need to kind of make up for it."
Emily nodded and made another note in her file to go see Nicole. It was kind of a long shot, but she could tell that Wellington wasn't the guy; Nicole however might have seen something.
"Rossi, can we talk outside?" Emily asked.
"Sure."
They both left the interrogation room and went out to the hallway. "Did you get the feeling that he's not the guy?" Emily asked.
"I did. I think his interest in giving birthday parties to Nicole should be looked into but other than that I don't see any reason to continue holding him."
"My feeling is that even though it's his credit card being used at every Crime City, it's not him. Is it possible that it's a case of identity theft?" Reid asked.
"If that's it, we are screwed. Those guys know how to cover their tracks," Emily commented. She turned when Garcia walked through the room with a bunch of paperwork. "Garcia, we need the credit card number of the card that's been used, maybe Dayton will recognize it."
"I'll get it to you in two shakes," Garcia promised as she walked back to her computer lair. It took Garcia a few moments, but she was soon back with a piece of paper in hand. "Here you go my raven haired beauty." She handed the paper to Emily.
Emily and Dave glanced down at the paper. Wordlessly, their eyes met. Bingo!
"We have a very compelling case to keep you in custody," Rossi said upon re-entering the interrogation room.
"What?" Dayton squirmed uncomfortably in his chair.
"One of your credit cards was used in the same cities as the stabbings we're investigating," Emily said, she held up the slip of paper with the number written on it. "The only way out for you is if this is a case of identity theft. But I'm going to be honest, it doesn't look good."
"I give my employees debit-credit cards, instead of a pay check." Dayton said. "It might be one of theirs."
"Well we need to find out whose it is."
Dayton spoke up. "We can call my accountant. He has the records of which credit cards go to which employees."
Emily and David glanced at each other before sat and held out the paper "Call him now," she instructed.
Dayton quickly pulled out his cell phone and called a number he put it on speaker and then handed it over to Rossi when the older agent motioned him to.
"What's your accountant's name?"
"Joseph Jameson."
"Hello?" a male voice spoke through the phone.
"Hello Mr. Jameson, this is Agent David Rossi of the FBI. We need the name of the person who uses a certain credit card number. It's one of the credit cards that is under Wellington Dayton's name."
"What number is it?"
"1591 2612 3701 4811" David read the number aloud and waited as the accountant found the credit card.
"Jared Morris," Jameson replied.
"Thank you." Dave hung up the phone and slid it over to Dayton. Dayton took the phone back, he looked shocked.
"I'm sure it's come as a surprise to you that Jared may be the perp," David began, but Dayton shook his head and looked up at the agent.
"It's not that. Sadly enough, that actually doesn't surprise me."
"What is it?"
"Jared is Nicole's Dad."
"I know better than most people that a criminal isn't always a thug in a black leather jacket with a big brand on his forehead to warn us away. Criminals sit next to us on the bus. They pack our groceries and cash our paychecks for us and teach our children. They look no different from you or me. And that's why they get away with it." Jodi Picoult (Vanishing Acts)
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